When Betas Begin to Write
by Great Chemistry
Summary: One beta's attempt at The Twilight 25 Round 3 Summer 2010.
1. Prompt 1: Of Humanity and Mortality

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt #: One  
Pen name: Great Chemistry  
Pairing: Bella  
Rating: K

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

Alice insisted I hand-pick each of the songs to be played throughout the ceremony, from the moment guests arrived until I left. I had been to a few weddings with Renee, but I couldn't remember music from any of them.

I needed one more. I asked Angela to bring a couple hymnals from her church for us to browse through, hoping inspiration would strike.

"Hey, Bella, what about this one?" She handed me the book. "It's upbeat, and the lyrics are nice."

_The Sands of Time are Sinking. _

I laughed at the title. Let's give my humanity one last hoorah.


	2. 8: Unexpected Benefits of Being Human

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt #: Eight  
Pen name: Great Chemistry  
Pairing: Bella and Edward  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

"You have a squishy nose."

"Come again?" I'd been developing a theory that all vampires have some form of ADD. Either that, or being able to think about so many different things at once must increase the chances that something completely random could pop out at any minute.

"I said, 'You have a squishy nose.'"

I pressed my finger to the tip of my nose and wiggled it around. "Okay, so my nose is a bit squishy. Was there a reason you're bringing it up?"

"Well, I like it, because when I do _this_, we can get a little closer..."

* * *

Special thanks to EdwardAddiction for the spontaneous beta job!


	3. Prompt 9: Displacement

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt #: Nine  
Pen name: Great Chemistry  
Pairing: Rosalie  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

I hate moving. You'd think having done it so many times would make it easier, but every time is painful. Despite having all the advantages of my kind, I can't find catharsis in cleaning and sorting and packing and moving.

It's more than being uprooted. It's being a potted plant that's never allowed to grow or put down roots at all. If you try, it's only more disruptive when you're moved to another windowsill.

I may be vain, but the desire to be known is universal to humankind. Is it wrong of me to want to hold on to that?

* * *

Much love and thanks to Lunar Siren; she is my hero.


	4. Prompt 4: Self Destructive Urges

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt #: Four  
Pen name: Great Chemistry  
Pairing: Bella and Edward  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

"You know, sometimes I wish I could run around shouting outside on a sunny day."

Edward's aghast stare caught me by surprise. It took a second for me to realize where his mind went, and I immediately revised my statement.

"I just mean that I miss being out in the sun more than I thought I would. I've never been a big prank person before, but didn't you ever just want to take a dash through town real quick?"

He shook his head and muttered something about 'self-destructive urges,' before turning back to the book he was reading with Nessie.


	5. Prompt 13: Afterglow

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt #: Thirteen  
Pen name: Great Chemistry  
Pairing: Bella and Edward  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

"I met this really annoying girl in my Spanish class today."

We always had the most random conversations after sex.

"She couldn't stop saying how awesome it was that her little schnauzer is also named Bella." The whining voice haunted me. "It's all, 'What Bella eats, where she stays on the weekends, and where she goes on walks.'" I groaned. "I just want to eat the stupid thing!"

"Hey now, it's not her fault it shot to the top of every popular name list."

"Are you looking for a repeat performance? I may just take my frustrations out on you."


	6. Prompt 15: Pressure Point

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt #: Fifteen  
Pen name: Great Chemistry  
Pairing: Bella  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

I must not breathe.

It was simple. It was innocence. It was an accident. My daughter and her friends playing hopscotch on our driveway.

One. Two. Three. Four.

Just a hop, a skip, and a misplaced jump, and everyone's life is in danger. Tears on their faces. Blood on her knee. The pressure is building.

I must not breathe.

Clean off the skin. Kiss her tears, not the wound. Put on a smile. Popsicles are in the freezer.

It's on the gravel. It's on my hands. Wash it all away. It's almost over. Where is Alice?

I must not breathe.


	7. Prompt 3: A Very Special Human Moment

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt #: Three  
Pen name: Great Chemistry  
Pairing: Alice/Jasper  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

"I can't talk right now."

"_Whoa baby, slow down. I've never seen you bolt out of somewhere like that. What did you see?"_

"This is the trouble with humans. They forget things, and I can't see they've forgotten it because no one ever decides to forget anything."

"_So who forgot what?"_

"Even if I didn't see it, I should have known she'd forget something. Of course she's excited about today, but how could you leave that behind?"

I sighed in relief as I reached for the blue box in Bella's bathroom. She's definitely going to need this while she's gone.

* * *

I don't own this franchise. If I did, I'd let Lunar Siren write it (I like her version better.)


	8. Prompt 11: We Are So Dead

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt #: Eleven  
Pen name: Great Chemistry  
Pairing: Nessie and Jake  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

"All right, I've got an idea. What if I phase and get a hold of Embry or Quill? Then they can go find Emmett or Rosalie who can drive all the way out here, pop the locks, and get us in the clear. Then Edward never has to know."

"Oh, they'll find out Jake, but that's not the problem. They'll call it a silly human mistake, laugh at us a little maybe, and get over it. What I'm worried about is what they'll do when they find out what we were doing when the keys fell out of your pocket."


	9. Prompt 12: Jealous

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt #: Twelve  
Pen name: Great Chemistry  
Pairing: Bella and Edward  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

Edward's nose crinkled and a hard look crossed his face.

"What's the matter?" Bella asked.

"Hold still. There's a mosquito on your leg."

There was a whisper of pressure on her calf, and when she looked, saw a smear of red. She turned to Edward in concern.

He forced a smile. "It's merely distressing to see I'm never the only one drawn to your blood. There will always be a line."

"You know, there is something you can do about that."

"If I changed you out of jealousy of a mosquito, then I really have no will power at all."


	10. Prompt 23: Patrol

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt #: Twenty-Three  
Pen name: Great Chemistry  
Pairing: Jane  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

Ridiculous errand. A dull trip of cleaning up after copycat amateurs becomes an egregious waste of my time. That Victoria should have felt my suffering for the annoyance of it.

And the girl. It's embarrassing to call her a vampire. No control. No direction. The only thing she's good for is the screams. Would have been nice to drag it out some more. Why they would let her live this long, I'll never know.

Those fools. To expend so much effort to keep one human alive, but not to destroy the final threat is laughable.

"Take care of that, Felix."

* * *

Quote from Eclipse p. 578. Research for this drabble included the most excellent Jane fic I could find: Becoming Jane by LoreliD

http:/www[dot]fanfiction[dot]net/s/5461314/1/Becoming_Jane


	11. Prompt 16: Perpetual Motion

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt #: Sixteen  
Pen name: Great Chemistry  
Pairing: Bella and Esme  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

"I'm wondering, Esme, does everything start looking the same after a few decades? Doing the same things over and over again? Do you ever get depressed that you can't really change anything?"

"Well, you already know about moving and going back to school, so yes, there's a lot of repetition. But there's a trade off of things that stay the same and things that always change. People come and go in our lives, and each has something to offer. Even still, there are things in this life that I feel so blessed will never change. That makes it worth it."

* * *

Inspiration also involved the following image:

http:/www[dot]/images/no-linking-allowed-main/houseofmirrors800[dot]jpg


	12. Prompt 5: Latent Confession

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt #: Five  
Pen name: Great Chemistry  
Pairing: Carlisle  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

I knew I would never see him again, and I knew I would have to leave forever.

But could I leave something for him? What news could I give him of his only son? What wouldn't break his heart? Could I tell him all his efforts of fighting evil had come to nothing? That I had become the very thing he sought for so long to destroy? I would be dead to him for that.

Though I do not know what to say, I have to leave behind something. Something for the man who unknowingly propelled me into this life.

* * *

Though I am a fan of brief A/Ns, I want to thank each of you for reading. To all of you, my most sincere thanks and gratitude. :)


	13. Prompt 19: A Little Too

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt #: Nineteen  
Pen name: Great Chemistry  
Pairing: Esme  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

It was a relic, saved from an old estate sale, and falling apart. It was pretty near worthless, but all she could see were the glory-days of the piano bar.

It reminded her of when music could be heard in the open streets, and beautiful women would croon to blues and jazz tunes late into the night. She had admired their perfect finger waves and longed to sing in the spotlight, to light up the stage in cities that never slept.

She knew why she wanted it but also why it would put them at risk.

Esme was too sultry.


	14. Prompt 2: Talents

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt #: Two  
Pen name: Great Chemistry  
Pairing: Jasper  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

I hated coming out here. I volunteered for this job because I knew I had the skills to keep my family safe. Edward may be able to read minds, but he couldn't see motives. Tend to be more reliable in my opinion.

Still, that didn't mean I took any pleasure visiting this seedy, old place. I looked around the site of his 'downtown' office. What a joke.

Jenks can keep his mouth shut and give me what I need, but that's about it.

"_Yes, Mr. Cullen, I can see you immediately. Thank you so much for call_—"

Good enough.


	15. Prompt 17: No Illusions of Grandeur Here

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt #: Seventeen  
Pen name: Great Chemistry  
Pairing: Bella and Emmett  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

Opulence had never impressed me. It may have made some people feel pampered or superior, but it would always make me feel out of place.

I scanned the hotel Rose and Emmett had chosen for their next wedding. Well, just Rose, I guess. I doubted Emmett had anything to do with it. Rose and Alice were on a warpath directing caterers, florists, and sound techs around the room. Neither of us were really helping.

I looked over at Emmett in solidarity. After all, it had been me not too long ago.

I'm so glad I would never do this again.


	16. Prompt 25: Growth Spurt

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt #: Twenty-five  
Pen name: Great Chemistry  
Pairing: Bella and Nessie  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

My daughter had outgrown me. Literally.

Nessie was standing next to me in the kitchen. My short stature apparently hadn't faired so well against Edward's genes. We estimated Nessie only had a few months of growing left to do, but she was already over five and a half feet tall.

"Come on, you know you really don't have to cook for me. Just because you remember how, doesn't mean you have to bake everything in the house."

I smiled and bumped her hip with mine. "You're a growing girl. Who else can I teach to make Grandma Swan's secret stroganoff?"

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	17. Propmt 6: Calculus

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt #: Six  
Pen name: Great Chemistry  
Pairing: Bella  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

I wonder if I won't have to study as hard anymore if I'm changed. I think this is going to melt my brain if I read it one more time. And no, Edward, I don't want you to explain it again. I know the smart shiny Volvo owner knows all the answers. If I didn't understand it the first time you explained it _perfectly_, then I'm not going to get it the fifth time. It's not like I can really pay attention to what you're saying in the first place. Ridiculous, beautiful vampire. I need to quit while I'm ahead.

* * *

This is entirely vicarious and is dedicated to anyone who has heard me whine about school work. I would love to have a ridiculous, beautiful vampire to tutor me in calculus, but no.  
Taking it out on poor Bella certainly made me feel better about my own struggles though.  
Thanks for reading :)


	18. Prompt 24: Lover's Dispute

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt #: Twenty-four  
Pen name: Great Chemistry  
Pairing: Bella and Edward  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

Edward wanted to find an off-campus apartment because of my newborn status.

I didn't think it would make a bit of difference. Apartments housing adults and families wouldn't be any different from apartments housing college students.

"But wouldn't it be less conspicuous around a campus setting where people are always awake anyway? It's not like we'd be any closer to a hunting location either. We'd still be in the middle of the city. Unless you want to commute an hour through traffic to campus every morning, or were you going to just run to class?"

I _would_ win this argument.


	19. Prompt 22: Pretty Please

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt #: Twenty-two  
Pen name: Great Chemistry  
Pairing: Rosalie and Emmett  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

"You want to do what?"

"Come on, how often do we actually go on dates? Please? I want to go do something together. You could laugh at it through the whole thing, and it wouldn't hurt my feelings, I swear."

"You want to drive out there to sit in a crowded, smelly theater just to watch an action movie? We don't even eat popcorn. What's the point?"

"The point is I want to take you out for a fun date."

Rosalie raised an eyebrow.

"All right, it's a cheap date by all considerations, but it would be fun. Please, Rosie?"


	20. Prompt 7: I Dare Ya

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt #: Seven  
Pen name: Great Chemistry  
Pairing: Victoria  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

He was running toward me. He must have seen me leave from the window. There's no way he would have been able to tell I'd left the party. I don't know how he caught up so fast.

There weren't dates, but he sure had been pursuing me very intently. Of course I was intrigued. I kept running into him, like he knew where I was going to be. I have to admit, it was very flattering.

Let him chase me. No one had been able to catch me yet. Maybe this James could keep up with me for a change.

* * *

Title suggestion from Lunar Siren. Mine was kind of ambiguous (me ambiguous, really?) but I like the mood her's set better.


	21. Prompt 18: Not Again

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt #: Eighteen  
Pen name: Great Chemistry  
Pairing: Charlie  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

_I want to go home. I can't stay in this rainy old town another day. I'm leaving, and there's nothing you can say to stop me._

It was all the same. How had this happened to him twice? Would he always be pushing people away and out of his life? He thought he could be good enough for his little girl to stay. Would he ever get to see his daughter grow old? Would he ever see her settle down, find her passion, or do something meaningful with her life? Deep down, he knew the answer had always been no.

* * *

Thanks to those of you still reading! I have not fallen off the planet. I am clinging on for dear life, but I am still here.


	22. Prompt 14: Way Better than Wikipedia

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt #: Fourteen  
Pen name: Great Chemistry  
Pairing: Bella and Edward  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

"Did you know Vitamin A is flammable?"

"I bet you could put Snapple out of business for all the random facts you know."

"Is that a compliment or an insult?"

"It's more a, 'You must have been really bored for the past hundred years,' sentiment."

"Can you blame me?"

"No, but you seem to be obsessed with obscure details more than the others."

"In my defense, I've had nothing better to occupy my faculties."

"So now that you've met me, you're going to leave all discoveries behind? Quit being a know-it-all?"

"Of course not. I'll just learn them with you."

* * *

Almost done with these! I hit a hundred reviews with my last drabble, and I can't even describe how awesome that makes me feel. You all rock :D

(And yes, vitamin A palmitate really is flammable. It will spontaneously ignite when in contact with paper.)


	23. Prompt 20: A Loss of Words

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt #: Twenty  
Pen name: Great Chemistry  
Pairing: Leah and Sam  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

I wanted to scream. And cry. Then I wanted to wake up.

This had to be a nightmare.

I was mad at him for disappearing. I was terrified of what had happened. I wish I could rewind and make sure this never happened.

No word. No call. Nothing for two weeks. I lived on the verge of panic and fury.

If I could just talk to him. If he could just tell me what's going on. I thought we could make it through anything. This was more than a crush. He was what I wanted.

Now, I'm dating a stranger.

* * *

Are you still hanging in there? So close!


	24. Prompt 10: History Lesson

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt #: Ten  
Pen name: Great Chemistry  
Pairing: Bella and Edward  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

"Tell me about this one?" Edward traced the outline of a scar below my elbow.

I twisted my arm around to look. "I got that one from a bike fall. I tried to go up this curb, but came at it from an angle. The bike stopped; I didn't."

"I had a scar from a bike accident, but it faded away during the change."

"You're making that up."

"No, really. My parents bought one for me. This was before training wheels and kickstands, mind you. I actually fell down a lot."

Better than me at falling? "You have no proof."


	25. Prompt 21: Not the End

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt #: Twenty-one  
Pen name: Great Chemistry  
Pairing: ?  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

She jumped off a cliff? Bella killed herself?

"I saw her jump," Alice said over the phone.

No, I didn't buy it. Bella might be a clumsy human, but she had been in the middle of too many death threats and vampire feuds to go seeking it out like that.

I knew some things about cliff jumping, and there's only one reason to go. For a few seconds, you do nothing but exist. Everything stops and becomes clear.

I don't know what made her do it, but I bet that fall was the most real she'd felt since we'd left.

* * *

The POV for this prompt is a You-Pick special. I want to know who you heard speaking! This voice literally popped in my head one day and I couldn't place it. I still can't! Some of the language might lend more to one character or another, but it felt wrong to exclude anyone. So please, tell me who it was to you :)

And that's that! Twenty-five drabbles in three months. I can hardly believe I did it, but thank you to everyone who came along for the ride! I love knowing I have amazing readers, and every single review makes my throat squeeze and my face light up. Love you all!


End file.
